Broken Bow (episode)
Earth launches its first starship of exploration, Enterprise, on a mission to return an injured Klingon to his homeworld. Summary Teaser In San Francisco, young Jonathan Archer paints a model of his father's spacecraft. When Jonathan recites a quote from a speech by Zefram Cochrane, Henry opines that the inventor of warp drive would proud if he heard the child. The boy asks when his father's new spacecraft will be ready and how big it will be. Henry responds that the prototype craft is not even built yet but will eventually be of considerable size. When Jonathan wonders if the craft will be bigger than "Ambassador Pointy's" ship, Henry Archer corrects his son that the man he refers to as "Ambassador Pointy" is actually called Soval, an extremely helpful Vulcan. Jonathan responds that, according to another child named Billy Cook, humans would already be flying at warp five if the Vulcans had not intervened. Although Henry Archer does not fully understand the reasons behind the Vulcans' constraint, he believes that there must be an explanation. Thirty years later, the wreckage of a Klingon ''K'toch''-class scoutship lies abandoned in a cornfield in Broken Bow, Oklahoma on Earth. Klaang, the Klingon occupant of the craft, desperately flees from alien pursuers. They run through the cornfield as one of the aliens fires a weapon at Klaang. The owner of the field, a farmer named Moore, steps out of a farmhouse and notices flashes of light from the alien's weapon. Reaching a clearing in the field, Klaang heads toward a nearby grain silo. As the Klingon quickly enters the building, he locks the entrance to the silo behind him. Armed with a plasma rifle, Moore exits the farmhouse and runs towards the silo. When the aliens reach the clearing in the field, they also head for the silo. Finding the entrance locked, one of the aliens dislocates his skeletal structure as he slides under the door. On the other side, he unlocks it for the other alien and they enter the building. However, Klaang jumps out of a door at the top of the silo, removes a disruptor from his belt and destroys the building. Arriving at the scene of the explosion, Moore notices Klaang and aims his rifle at the Klingon. When he hears Klaang speak Klingonese, it sounds like gibberish to him and he soon shoots Klaang. Act One Aboard an orbital inspection pod, Jonathan Archer, now a captain in the Earth Starfleet, and Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker travel to one of Starfleet's Spacedock facilities in orbit of Earth. There, the prototype NX class starship ''Enterprise'' is gradually being prepared. On board the inspection pod, Commander Tucker reports that the Ventral Plating Team will soon be finished their work on the new starship. Captain Archer advises Trip to make sure that the color of the starship's ventral plating matches its nacelle housings. Archer jokes with Trip that he is planning to sit on the starship's hull and pose for some postcards. They comment that Enterprise is both beautiful and fast. In awe, the captain adds that Enterprise is able to travel from Earth to Neptune and return to Earth again in under six minutes. He tells Commander Tucker to pilot the orbital inspection pod to a better location to view the lateral sensor array. Trip adheres to the captain's request and Archer soon recognizes a section of the starship that he wants reinforced. The captain hands Trip a high-tech stylus and padd, and the engineer makes a note. With his attention diverted from the inspection pod's control throttle, the craft lightly bumps into Enterprise. When Archer notes that the pod scratched some of Enterprise's paint, Commander Tucker apologizes. A member of Starfleet contacts the pod and Tucker replies, referring to the inspection pod as "Orbital 6". The Starfleet officer reports that Admiral Forrest has requested Archer's immediate presence at Starfleet Medical. There, night has settled over San Francisco. In a dimly lit anteroom, Admirals Forrest and Leonard, and Commander Williams discuss Klaang with three Vulcan dignitaries - Ambassador Soval, Tos and Subcommander T'Pol. Soval states that he is uncertain who Klaang's pursuers were, as they were incinerated in the methane explosion of Farmer Moore's grain silo. The Vulcan ambassador adds that Moore was unable to give an accurate account of the Suliban's appearance. Tos reveals that the Suliban were using a form of stealth technology to travel to Earth and that the Vulcans are currently studying their sensor logs in an attempt to obtain more information. When Commander Williams asks to view the Vulcan sensor logs, Soval replies that the Klingons clearly requested the Vulcans to expedite the situation. Although Admiral Leonard retorts that the incident occurred on Earth, Tos believes that fact is irrelevant. When Admiral Forrest opines that the humans have a right to know what happens to Klaang, Ambassador Soval responds that the Vulcans will continue to supply Starfleet with all appropriate information. Commander Williams rhetorically asks who will decide what information is important. The conversation reaches an abrupt end when Jonathan Archer enters and shakes Admiral Forrest's hand. Archer sees Klaang for the first time, strapped to a bed in a room separated from the anteroom by a large window. Archer, who is familiar with all the Starfleet and Vulcan personnel in the anteroom, moves closer to the window. Admiral Leonard incorrectly informs Archer that the injured alien is a "Kling-ott", though Tos corrects the admiral that Klaang is a Klingon. Forrest informs Archer that Klaang was found in Oklahoma and adds that a farmer named Moore shot the alien with a plasma rifle, supposedly in self defense. When Tos reveals that he and Soval have maintained close contact with Qo'noS since the incident occurred, Admiral Leonard explains that Qo'noS is the Klingon homeworld. Admiral Forrest steps forward and states that Klaang was a courier, obviously carrying crucial information to the Klingon Empire when he was shot and almost killed. Forrest adds that Soval believes the launch date of Enterprise should be held back until the situation with the Klingons has been resolved. Sarcastically, Archer comments that the Vulcans are hardly being original, though Soval is definite that Starfleet does not want to make an enemy of the Klingon Empire. Tos believes that if the Klingons hadn't agreed to take Klaang's corpse back to Qo'noS, it's likely that they would soon have deployed a fleet of warbirds to annihilate Earth. Archer asks whether Tos' use of the word "corpse" denotes that Klaang is dead. Before Tos can answer, however, Archer walks through to the other room and asks a doctor whether the Klingon is dead. The doctor spouts medical jargon at Archer, although he eventually admits that Klaang won't necessarily die. Puzzled that the Vulcans are going to disconnect the alien from his life support system, Archer walks back to the anteroom and questions their logic. When Soval explains that the Klingons find honor in death and that Klaang would be disgraced if his people found him in his present condition, Tos informs Archer that the Klingons are a warrior race who dream of dying in battle. The Vulcan dignitary begins to say that Archer doesn't understand the complexities of interstellar travel, but the captain interrupts. As his temper rises, Archer questions the Vulcans' diplomatic solution to "pull the plug". Although Tos thinks that Archer's metaphor is crude, he admits its accuracy. Archer finds it hard to believe that Admiral Forrest would allow the Vulcans to commit murder, but Soval tells Forrest that the Klingons have directed the Vulcans to return Klaang immediately. Ignoring the Vulcan ambassador, Archer demands an answer from Forrest. The admiral states that Starfleet may have to submit to the judgment of the Vulcans. However, Archer responds that Starfleet has adhered to the Vulcans' wishes for too long and implies his belief that the time has come for Earth to take action alone. From behind Archer, Subcommander T'Pol states that the humans are not yet ready to look beyond their volatile nature. However, Archer implies that he is restraining himself from using violence against the Vulcans. Following a brief pause in the discussion, Archer claims that Enterprise will be prepared to depart drydock in three days. He makes an appeal for the permission to transport Klaang aboard the starship, and to carry the Klingon back to Qo'noS alive. However, Admiral Leonard recalls that the starship's communications officer is in Brazil and that Archer hasn't selected a medical officer yet. Still, the captain insists that he and his crew will be ready to leave in three days. Finally, Forrest relents and supports Archer's request. Soval shouts that the admiral is making a mistake, provoking Archer to chide the Vulcan's lack of logic. The Vulcans exit, leaving Forrest to wish Archer good luck. As the Starfleet officers leave, Archer taps the window and indicates that he wants to speak with the same doctor he spoke to earlier. While work on Enterprise continues, Ensign Travis Mayweather comments that the starship's transporter has been approved for bio-transport. Although Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, the ship's armory officer, presumes that Ensign Mayweather is referring to the transport of fruit and vegetables, Travis states otherwise. Apparently, the transporter has been equipped to beam officers to and from the ship. Lieutenant Reed expresses his fear of having his molecules compressed, though Ensign Mayweather reassures him that Starfleet has announced the use of the transporter is safe. As a crewman beams a container onto the transporter platform, Malcolm Reed implies he is still doubtful. Although he is concerned that Archer may ask him to use the transporter, Mayweather has heard that the captain wouldn't even use the device on his own dog. Reed sighs as he and Mayweather open the newly arrived container. The lieutenant is frustrated to find a case of valve sealant in the container, instead of the plasma coils he had asked for. As a result, Reed mentions it is extremely likely that the starship's weapon systems will not be functional in three days, though Mayweather wonders why Enterprise will require weapons. In reply, Lieutenant Reed asks whether Travis read the profile report on the Klingons. When Mayweather responds negatively, Reed notifies him that the Klingons prepare for combat by sharpening their teeth. Travis gives Reed an uneasy half-smile, and is shocked to learn that the lieutenant was not joking. As crewmen work, Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Mayweather walk through a corridor. Reed believes that Commander Tucker will probably reassure him that his equipment will arrive in a day's time. Ensign Mayweather seems otherwise preoccupied, however, and remarks that the starship's artificial gravity seems to be slightly heavy. He remembers that his father used to keep the gravity aboard the [[ECS Horizon|ECS Horizon]] at a low level. Reed comments that Mayweather must have found Earth gravity extremely heavy, after spending his childhood aboard cargo ships. In main engineering, Commander Tucker is at the warp engine when Travis and Reed enter. Reed introduces Tucker to Mayweather, and mentions that the ensign has just arrived. Tucker recalls that Mayweather is a "space boomer" and tells the ensign that Enterprise has previously traveled at warp four. Adding that the starship will be traveling at warp 4.5 when it clears Jupiter, Tucker wonders whether Mayweather will be sufficient at the helm. Mayweather laughs, amazed at Enterprise's capabilities. Reed worries that the starship's deflector needs to be realigned, although Tucker reassures him that his equipment will arrive in a day's time. In a Brazilian open-air classroom, linguist Hoshi Sato is teaching several college students an alien language. Since one of the students, named Carlos, seems to be experiencing difficulty pronouncing the alien words, Hoshi focuses more of her attention on him. When she notices that Archer has arrived, she encourages Carlos to keep practicing and leaves to speak with the captain. As she and Archer walk along a path surrounded by jungle plant life, Hoshi reveals that her students will sit their exams in two weeks. Due to this, she feels that it would be irresponsible to leave them. Archer believes a relief teacher could cover for Hoshi, but the linguist explains that no else could do what she does. If there was, Archer wouldn't be so eager to recruit her. When Hoshi apologises for the fact that she feels obligated to stay, Archer warns that he could order her to leave. However, the linguist reminds Archer that she is on leave from Starfleet. Hoshi adds that she will accept an assignment aboard Archer's "space ship" once three weeks have passed. The captain removes a small device from his clothing and subsequently actives it. Hoshi is intrigued when the device plays back a vocal recording. Archer tells her that Ambassador Soval gave Starfleet a sample of the Vulcan linguistic database and that the voice is speaking Klingonese. Although the Vulcans are opposed to Starfleet returning Klaang to his people, both organizations managed to make a few compromises. As Hoshi listens to the recording, she asks what Archer knows about the Klingons. Although he states that he doesn't have much information on the species, Archer replies that the Klingons are an empire of warriors. Regarding their language, he reveals that Klingonese has eighty poly-guttural dialects constructed on an adaptive syntax. As Hoshi's attention intensifies, Archer states that she will be the first human to communicate with the Klingons if she joins his crew. The linguist looks at Archer and smiles. Aboard Enterprise, Archer tells Commander "Trip" Tucker that Starfleet has allowed the Vulcan High Command to assign a representative as the starship's science officer. In exchange, the Vulcans have agreed to provide Enterprise with their star charts, which the ship will need to locate Qo'noS. According to Admiral Forrest, the crew should think of their Vulcan guest as a "chaperon", rather than a "spy". Archer notifies Commander Tucker that the Vulcan science officer will only be aboard Enterprise for four days and four nights, in which time the crew are to extend her every courtesy. Trip jokes that he would feel more comfortable with the captain's dog, Porthos, on the bridge. The Vulcan science officer, Subcommander T'Pol, arrives and hands Archer a padd which confirms her assignment to Enterprise. While Archer reads the confirmation, the Vulcan notices Porthos. Realizing that T'Pol is reacting negatively to his dog, Archer remembers that Vulcan females are extremely sensative to smells. When the captain apologises, T'Pol replies that she has been trained to tolerate offensive situations. Enjoying T'Pol's reaction, Trip reveals that he had a shower earlier and asks whether Archer did. The captain introduces T'Pol to Commander Tucker, who asks the Vulcan to call him "Trip". The commander waits for T'Pol to shake his hand, but the Vulcan does not return the gesture. Although Archer realizes that T'Pol may not be as enthusiastic about Enterprise's mission as the human crew are, he also expects her to obey their rules. He informs her that what is said in the ready room and on the bridge are confidential and not to be repeated to the Vulcan High Command. However, T'Pol assures Archer that she is not a spy and informs him that her only directive was to assist the humans. She reveals that she did not request her assignment to Enterprise and will be eager to return to Vulcan once the starship's mission is complete. Suddenly, she flinches and gazes down at Porthos. Seeing that the dog has climbed half-way up the Vulcan's leg, Trip smiles at her awkward position. T'Pol requests to be excused and leaves the captain's ready room. Archer and Trip glance at each other and smile. On the observation deck of the facility where Enterprise is docked, high-ranking Starfleet officers, Vulcan dignitaries and human civilians have gathered for the starship's launch ceremony. The audience listen intently to a speech made by Admiral Forrest. When the human members of the audience enthusiastically applaud, the Vulcans frown, puzzled by the strange emotional behaviour. Captain Archer is applauded as he and his crew leave the ceremony and prepare to launch Enterprise. A recording of a speech by Doctor Zefram Cochrane is played, while Archer settles into his command chair aboard the starship. He remembers his father flying a small antigrav unit, the component which made his model starship fly, and soon gives the order to depart. He contacts main engineering, where Commander Tucker informs him that the starship's warp engine is ready to be used. Travis Mayweather plots a course to Qo'noS and requests permission to engage warp. Although T'Pol notifies Archer that the co-ordinates are not precisely accurate, the captain ignores the Vulcan's report. Enterprise engages warp, leaving Earth and the orbital Spacedock facility far behind. In a strange chamber aboard a Suliban Helix, a mysterious silhoutte appears and Silik, a high-ranking Suliban officer, enters. When the mysterious figure asks about the location of Klaang, Silik replies that the Klingon is with humans. The silhoutte asks whether anyone else was lost and Silik answers that two of his Suliban soldiers were killed, one of whom was his friend. Silik requests that the silhoutte prevents the deaths of the two Suliban soldiers. However, the figure responds that his agreement with the Suliban does not include correcting their mistakes. Silik promises that he will recover the evidence which the mysterious figure requires and asks when he will speak with the silhoutte again. However, the mysterious figure answers that the Suliban officer should not be concerned about that and his silhoutte disappears. Act Two As Enterprise continues on its journey to Qo'noS, Captain Archer and Doctor Phlox, the medical officer that Archer spoke to earlier, are in sickbay. The captain observes a jar full of Phlox's immunocytic gel worms. When Archer comments that he likes the changes that Phlox has made to sickbay, the doctor advises him not to shake the jar of worms. Phlox states that he found Earth intriguing and that he particularly enjoyed the Chinese food. When the doctor asks whether Archer ever sampled Chinese food, the captain replies that he has lived in San Francisco all of his life. As Archer helps the doctor unpack, Phlox claims that Human biology is simplistic, but finds their optimism charming. Another of their redeeming qualities is their egg drop soup. When Archer picks up a small cage from out of Phlox's medical equipment, the doctor instructs him to be careful. An unseen life-form skitters within the cage, making Archer squirm. As the captain hands the cage to Phlox, the doctor explains that an Altarian marsupial is inside. He adds that the marsupial's droppings contain the greatest concentration of regenerative enzymes known to exist. Archer seems uncomfortable with the thought of the marsupial's droppings, although Phlox philosophically suggests that he should embrace new ideas, the reason that the Vulcans initiated the Interspecies Medical Exchange. Archer apologizes that Phlox has had to leave the medical exchange program to join Enterprise, but states that no human doctor knows anything about Klingon anatomy. However, Phlox asks Archer not to apologize and claims that his visit aboard the starship will allow him a rare opportunity to study humans under pressure. The doctor also reveals that he has never been able to examine a living Klingon before. As Archer takes a close look at Klaang's feet, the captain wonders whether the Klingon will be conscious by the time Enterprise arrives at Qo'noS in approximately eighty hours. Phlox claims that there is a possibility that Klaang will be conscious within ten minutes, although it is unlikely. According to Captain Archer, if Klaang doesn't walk off Enterprise on his own two feet in eighty hours, the Klingon won't have much of a chance. Phlox states that he will do his best and calls to Archer that he should be more optimistic. When the captain looks back at his new doctor, Phlox smiles a grin of inhuman proportions. Archer turns and heads through sickbay's double doors. Meanwhile, Ensign Mayweather shows Commander Tucker the "sweet spot", an area of every ship where gravity is reversed. Travis Mayweather states that the "sweet spot" is usually about halfway between the artificial gravity generator and the bow plate. Sitting on the ceiling, the ensign asks Tucker if he has ever slept in a zero gravity environment. Mayweather adds that the experience is similar to a Human's before being born. According to Captain Archer, Mayweather has visited Trillius Prime. The ensign confirms the statement and adds that he has also been to the planet Draylax and both the Teneebian moons. Tucker mentions that the only inhabited planet he has visited is Earth and all that he found there was dustdwelling ticks. Curious, the commander asks about the women who live on Draylax. Ensign Mayweather hints that he has first-hand, second-hand and third-hand evidence that Draylaxian women have three of something. Tucker jokes that growing up as a boomer seems to have its advantages and then laughs with Mayweather. Later, Commander Tucker walks through the mess hall, a crowded room with several officers eating at, and taking food to, small tables. A crewman named Fletcher offers a seat to Tucker at one of the tables. However, the chief engineer replies that he has already been invited to have dinner with the captain and walks away. In the captain's mess, a room with a large table and window, Archer chews a bread stick and talks to T'Pol. He asks whether the Vulcan visited the Grand Canyon or Big Sur Aquarium during her stay on Earth. T'Pol replies negatively, answering that her assignments did not include sight-seeing. Archer believes that everyone should regularly go out to enjoy themselves, although T'Pol states that all her recreational requirements were available in the Vulcan compound, where she was stationed. The door chimes, alerting the captain that Commander Tucker is outside the room, so Archer welcomes him in. The commander states that Archer and T'Pol should have started eating without him. When Archer indicates to Trip that he should take a seat at the table, they all sit down and prepare to eat. The captain tells Commander Tucker that T'Pol was stationed at the Vulcan compound in Sausalito. The engineer takes a bread stick from the center of the table and reveals that he used to live near the Vulcan compound when he first joined Starfleet. He sarcastically jokes that the Vulcan compound was well known for its party environment. Archer observes that T'Pol seems to be having trouble cutting a bread stick, so he suggests that she breaks it using her fingers. However, according to T'Pol, Vulcans don't touch food with their hands. Commander Tucker imagines T'Pol struggling to cut spare ribs, meat that the Humans consume. When the Vulcan glances at Archer, he assures her that the crew know T'Pol is a vegetarian. The door to the kitchen opens and a steward enters, carrying three plates of food. He serves T'Pol a platter of grilled vegetables, while the other two senior officers are served meat. Commander Tucker remarks that the food looks delicious and the steward states that he will give chef Trip's thanks. According to the Human species, they are enlightened, but T'Pol states that they still consume the meat of animals. She continues to attempt to cut her bread stick. Although Archer comments that Humans are not exactly "enlightened", he believes T'Pol would be impressed if she was aware of the advances that the species has made in the past fifty years. The Vulcan states that Humans, who are still to embrace patience and logic, remain impulsive carnivores. Trip lists the abolishment of war, disease and hunger as examples of Human improvement. However, T'Pol theorizes that the species could still revert to its baser instincts. Commander Tucker reveals that there used to be cannibals on Earth and believes that it's lucky that Enterprise is not on a long mission, as the Humans on board could suddenly revert to that stage of their evolution. Archer comments that Human instinct is extremely strong and remarks that their evolution has taken, and will continue to take, a long time. T'Pol eventually manages to slice through her bread stick and opines that anything can be achieved with proper discipline. Enterprise continues to Qo'noS as the senior staff test the starship's warp drive on the bridge. At warp 4.3, Hoshi Sato, now dressed in a Starfleet uniform, claims she can feel vibrations like slight tremors. When Captain Archer orders Ensign Mayweather to change the starship's velocity to warp 4.4, the vibrations became larger and more evident. However, Lieutenant Reed explains that the shudders were caused when the navigational deflector was sequencing. T'Pol suggests to Hoshi that she might like to go to her quarters to recover from her anxiety but the communications officer doesn't like the Vulcan's slightly condescending attitude. When Hoshi replies with a Vulcan insult, T'Pol reveals that she was instructed to speak English while serving aboard Enterprise and asks Hoshi to respect that fact. Archer lightly remarks that it's easy to get a little anxious when traveling at a high rate of velocity, but imagines that the crew will grow accustomed to the experience. An audio signal notifies the captain that someone on the ship is contacting him, so he answers the call. Doctor Phlox's voice sounds over the intercom, informing the captain that Klaang has regained consciousness. Archer tells Phlox that he will start heading towards sickbay and orders Hoshi Sato to join him on his short journey. In sickbay, Hoshi finds difficulty in communicating with Klaang. She holds a universal translator in her hand, but it won't recognize the Klingon's dialect. In Klingonese, Klaang demands to know where he is and shouts that he wants his ship back. However, communication with the alien soon completely breaks down, when he begins to shout nonsensical statements. Phlox explains that Klaang's prefrontal cortex is hyperstimulated. When Enterprise suddenly shudders, Hoshi asks if the warp reactor is at fault. Concerned, Archer walks over to a bulkhead and taps a com button. From the bridge, T'Pol informs him that the starship is no longer at warp. She begins to report on the condition of main power, but her voice becomes garbled. In sickbay and on the bridge, lights go out and consoles beep as they are deactivated. At the helm station on the bridge, Ensign Mayweather notifies T'Pol that Enterprise is losing main power on all decks. As Lieutenant Reed's console loses power, he claims that his station's tactical sensors just detected something near the starboard bow, although he is unable to give a further explanation. He adds that it could have been caused by the sensors being deactivated. As the starship's few remaining lights go out, three Suliban soldiers work their way through a corridor in the darkness. Two of the soldiers crawl along the bulkheads, while another walks. Meanwhile, the officers in sickbay have lit handheld beacons. Klaang continues to shout Klingonese nonsense as Archer seems puzzled that auxiliary power has not yet resumed. Under orders from the captain, Hoshi shouts at Klaang to be quiet. Archer suggests that Phlox may have to sedate him and mentions that he has to go to the bridge. However, Hoshi sees one of the Suliban soldiers as it disappears and alerts the captain to the alien presence. Eventually, Archer also sees a Suliban, as it crawls across the ceiling. He orders a crewman to shoot a plasma rifle at the alien. However, the crewman misses. Klaang recognizes the alien figure and quietly mumbles the name of their species. Suddenly, a Suliban assualts the crewman and his weapon drops to the floor. However, Archer picks the plasma rifle up, while the Suliban fights the guard, and shoots it at the alien soldier. Hoshi screams when she notices that the Suliban has fallen to the ground near her position. As Klaang lies strapped to a bio-bed, another Suliban falls from the ceiling directly over him. Archer rushes to the dazed crewman, although the officer claims that he has not been severely injured. As power is restored and the lights come back on, Hoshi sees that the only Suliban left in sickbay is the dead soldier near her feet and Archer is shocked to discover that Klaang is no longer on board. Act Three Later, Archer is on the bridge. Although he wonders why Enterprise did not detect the Suliban, Lieutenant Reed informs him that the starboard sensor logs recorded a spatial disturbance. However, Commander Tucker opines that the anomaly in the sensor data looks more like a glitch. Hoshi reminds the engineer that the aliens were definitely real, not slight temporary faults in a computer. When the captain asks for a complete analysis of the spatial disturbance, Tucker leaves the bridge. Archer tells Lieutenant Reed to work on tuning the starship's targeting scanners. As T'Pol attempts to attract the captain's attention, Archer reminds Hoshi that Klaang seemed to know the identity of the aliens. He tells the communications officer to translate what the Klingon said when he was aboard Enterprise. Hoshi leaves her station as the captain turns to the helm. Finally, however, he notices T'Pol, who suggests using the astrometric computer in San Francisco to analyse the spatial disturbance. Archer responds that Enterprise is not returning to Earth yet and tells the Vulcan to use the starship's equipment instead. When T'Pol insists that Archer "lost" Klaang and that the mission is over, the captain replies that he didn't lose the Klingon. He corrects the Vulcan that Klaang was taken from Enterprise and reveals that he intends to learn the identity of the Klingon's alien captors. T'Pol retorts that the starship is on a foolish mission, as space is very big and she doesn't believe that a shadow on the starship's sensors will help the Starfleet crew find the aliens. Reacting to the Vulcan's sentiments and her patronizing tone, the captain orders T'Pol to accompany him to his ready room. There, the captain claims that he doesn't care about T'Pol's opinion of the starship's mission to return Klaang to Qo'noS. The Vulcan female replies that Archer's emotional response is an example of why, in her opinion, humans should remain in their own star system. Archer states that he has experienced the Vulcans' repression of humans all his life. He remembers that his father worked extremely hard on the warp 5 engine while Vulcan scientists intentionally held back just enough information to hinder him. Due to that, Jonathan Archer blames the Vulcans for the fact that his father was unable to witness Enterprise's launch. T'Pol asks whether the captain will contact Starfleet for advice on the starship's present situation. However, Archer replies that neither he nor T'Pol will contact Starfleet and orders the Vulcan to return to the bridge. Complying with her instructions, T'Pol leaves the ready room through a set of double doors to the bridge. Sickbay is dimly lit as Phlox shows Archer the corpse of the Suliban soldier that was left aboard Enterprise. The doctor has learned that the alien has Suliban DNA, the name of the species that Klaang mumbled earlier. However, the soldier is not a typical example of his species, as his anatomy has been altered. Phlox shows the captain the Suliban's lung, which has five bronchial lobes instead of the usual three. The doctor also shows Archer the soldier's alveoli clusters, which have been modified to process different kinds of atmosphere. Seeming slightly disgusted by the alien's internal organs, Archer wonders whether the soldier is a mutant. Phlox replies positively but adds that the mutations were intentional. Clearly enjoying his chance to study such a biologically advanced specimen, the doctor shows Archer the Suliban's subcutaneous pigment sacs and eyes, which have highly sensitive compound retinas. Even the soldier's uniform is made from a bio-mimetic grament, which absorses and retains light after it is no longer illuminated. Phlox admires the genetic modifications, which are of a higher quality than any he has previously seen. The ship travels to Rigel X in search of Klaang, where Archer meets Sarin, a renegade Suliban who informs him of the existence of the Temporal Cold War. The Suliban are promoting internal strife in the Klingon Empire and Klaang was transporting evidence of this back to Qo'noS to prevent a civil war. Sarin is killed by Cabal agents, and the Enterprise crew barely makes it back to the ship alive. T'Pol tracks a Suliban vessel back to the Suliban Helix, where Archer and Commander Tucker use a captured Suliban cell ship to board the Helix and extract Klaang. Archer also breaks the Helix apart using a magnetic device. Enterprise returns Klaang to Qo'noS and brings him before the Klingon High Council, and the Klingons recover their data. Enterprise officially begins its mission of exploration. Background Information *This is the first episode of Star Trek: Enterprise and the only feature-length episode in that series. *With the addition of this episode, Enterprise became the first Star Trek spin-off not to have a character from the previous Trek series appear in its pilot episode. Doctor McCoy was seen briefly in Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Encounter at Farpoint"; Captain Jean-Luc Picard appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "Emissary"; and Quark had a cameo appearance in Star Trek: Voyager's "Caretaker". Morn also appears in that episode. *Several of the guest characters' names are homages to The Original Series. Admiral Forrest (named after DeForest Kelley), Admiral Leonard (Leonard Nimoy), Commander Williams (William Shatner) and Tos (an abbreviation of 'T'he 'O'riginal 'S'eries). *Farmer Moore was named after Ronald D. Moore. *Vaughn Armstrong (who holds the record for playing the largest amount of alien guest characters on Star Trek) played his first human role in this episode as Admiral Forrest. The character would continue to appear throughout the series. *James Cromwell reprises his Star Trek: First Contact role, Zefram Cochrane, in this episode, although his name does not appear in the credits. *Sections of Zefram Cochrane's speech were taken from the opening narrations heard in the title sequences of The Original Series and The Next Generation. *Gary Graham, who plays Soval in this episode, previously played Tanis in "Cold Fire", an episode of Star Trek: Voyager. *Thomas Kopache, who plays Tos in this episode, would later play a male Sphere Builder in "Harbinger". He also previously appeared in TNG, DS9 and VOY. *Porthos is the only character, besides the regulars, to appear in both this episode and the finale of the series, "These Are the Voyages...". *The model starship which young Jonathan Archer plays with in flashbacks throughout this episode was designed by illustrator Jim Martin and built by the Paramount prop shop. *This episode's script establishes that the two Teneebian moons that Ensign Mayweather visited when he was young were originally two Andorian moons. *Rigel X was also the last place visited by Enterprise before its decommission in 2161. Memorable Quotes "Where no man has gone before." - Said twice, first by young Jonathan Archer, reciting a speech by Zefram Cochrane, which is heard later. Very first line of the series "Volatile? You have no idea how much I'm restraining myself from knocking you on your ass." - Archer's first words to T'Pol, in response to her claim that humans are not ready to make their own decisions "Keep your shirt on, lieutenant." - Said twice, first by Lieutenant Malcolm Reed doing an impression of Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker, then by Trip, himself. "You can't be afraid of the wind." - Said twice, first at the start of the episode by Henry Archer when young Jonathan Archer was having trouble flying a model starship, then at the end of the episode by Captain Archer, in reply to Ensign Mayweather's suggestion to fly around a minor spatial disturbance (an ion storm or a similar phenomenon) "On this site, a powerful engine will be built. An engine that will someday help us to travel a hundred times faster than we can today. Imagine it - thousands of inhabited planets at our fingertips... and we'll be able to explore those strange new worlds, and seek out new life and new civilizations. This engine will let us go boldly... where no man has gone before." - Doctor Zefram Cochrane's speech from the dedication ceremony for the Warp Five Complex, in 2119 "Let's go." - Captain Archer's order to engage warp and depart Earth "Optimism, captain!" - Phlox's advice to Captain Archer, before the Denobulan doctor smiles a massive grin "Ponfo mirann!" - Hoshi's Vulcan insult. According to Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, this phrase can be translated as "Go to hell!" (Episode's audio commentary, ENT Season 1 DVD) Links and References Guest Stars *John Fleck as Silik *Melinda Clarke as Sarin *Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr. as Klaang *Vaughn Armstrong as Maxwell Forrest *Jim Beaver as Daniel Leonard *Mark Moses as Henry Archer *Gary Graham as Soval *Thomas Kopache as Tos *Jim Fitzpatrick as Williams *James Horan as Humanoid Figure *Joseph Ruskin as Suliban Doctor *Marty Davis as Young Jonathan Archer *James Cromwell as Zefram Cochrane *Van Epperson as Alien Man *Ron King as Farmer Moore *Peter Henry Schroeder as Klingon Chancellor *Matt Williamson as Klingon Council Member *Byron Thames as Crewman *Ricky Luna as Carlos *Jason Grant Smith as Fletcher (crewman) *Chelsea Bond as Lorillian Mother *Ethan Dampf as Lorillian Child *Diane Klimaszewski as Butterfly Dancer *Elaine Klimaszewski as Butterfly Dancer *Mark Correy as Alex (uncredited) References 2119; Altarian marsupial; Billy Cook; boomer; decontamination chamber; dockmaster; Draylax; Draylaxian; Elkan Nine; immunocytic gel worm; Klingon language; K'toch class; Linguistic database; orbital inspection pod; osmotic eel; OV-165; phase pistol; protocystian spore; Sector 3641; Earth Starfleet; sweet spot; Teneebian moons; Trillius Prime; Vulcan Compound; Warp Five Complex; warp five engine Category:ENT episodes de:Aufbruch ins Unbekannte, Teil I nl:Broken Bow